Wyre Forest

Wyre Forest

The forest covers an area in local terms of 2,634 hectares (6,509 acres), or on the larger scale 26.34 square kilometres (10.17 sq mi) and is noted for its variety of wildlife. Although now the Wyre Forest has been much deforested, it still extends from east of the A442 at Shatterford, north of Kidderminster in the east, almost to Cleobury Mortimer in the west and from Upper Arley in the north to Areley Kings, near Stourport in the south. It is one of the largest remaining ancient woodlands in Britain. The Forestry Commission looks after around half of today's forest. Around two-thirds of the forest has been designated as SSSI (1,753.7 Ha), while a further fifth (549 Ha) is listed as a National Nature Reserve. The Dowles Brook flows through the heart of the forest, and the A456 road also runs through the southern edge of the woodland.

It is one of the largest areas of semi-natural (partially unmanaged) woodland in the UK. Wildlife species to be found in the forest include hawfinch pictured, fallow deer, dipper, common crossbill, pied flycatcher, redstart, and long-eared owl among many other woodland birds and plants. The small but colourful moth Oecophora bractella has one of its few English populations here, and does not seem to occur much farther northwards.